Background
The earth is the natural heritage of man and there is a need for the sustainable usage and conservation of the inheritance. This led to the celebration of our benevolent Mother Earth on the world earth day to motivate everyone to do their bit towards making the earth a better place.
The April 22 earth day was first organized in the year 1970 and founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson with the aim of promoting ecology and to encourage awareness about the associated problems on the earth. Earth Day is an annual event and is now celebrated in many countries each year.
TGED Foundation Commitment
To commemorate the 2022 world earth day, a tree planting and sensitization event was designed by TGED Foundation and hosted at Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology(BOUESTI).
The event brought together environmentalists and environmental supporters to create awareness on conserving the earth and making an impact with this year’s Earth Day theme which was tagged “INVEST IN OUR PLANET”. It was organized by TGED Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Trade and investment, Ekiti State Forestry Commission and BOUESTI.
This gave stakeholders an opportunity to contribute on the theme for the 2022 celebration without leaving out the young ones, especially students from Green Nation Club from Peace and Joy Group of School, Ikere-Ekiti.
Stakeholders Present
The dignitaries at the event includes; BOUESTI Vice Chancellor; Prof. Olufemi Adeolu and other Principal Officers of the University, Hon. Commissioner for Trade and investment; Aare Muyiwa Olumilua, Executive Secretary; Ekiti State Forestry Commission; Mr Matthew Famuajun, the State Coordinator for Nesrea; Mrs Abosede Toroni, the Rotary club president; Rotarian O.J Aluko, Association of Women in Bousti, Green Nation Club from Peace and Joy Group of school, and the TGED Foundation team.
Earth Day Highlights
The world today is facing various environmental challenges, causing concern among environmentally concerned citizens. The need for active participation in creating sustainable communities around us for preserving the earth from further environmental destruction is not negotiable.
The event started at 10:50am with the recitation of the National anthem and BOUESTI anthem. The Vice Chancellor was impressed by the turnout at the event, stating the need to replenish the earth and that must be done very quickly. He encouraged everyone to contribute to the replenishment with BOUESTI contributing at every opportunity and not depleting the environment, stating that much of the disease experienced in recent times is as a result of an unhealthy and depleted environment.
Addressing the stakeholders at the event, the TGED Foundation team lead, Oluwaseyi Ebenezer in her keynote emphasized on the need to plant trees and implement the Rs of waste; reuse, recycle and reduce. She stated that Earth day is set aside worldwide to celebrate our earth and that a healthy environment is a factor for prosperity in all of our endeavors. She stated that our earth has been depleted so much by human activities with man at the center creating indelible marks on the earth through deforestation and other human activities capable of depleting the environment, making windstorms and other disasters prevalent in recent times. She expressed concern that Ikere-Ekiti is always on the radial and always affected by storms and flood due to topography and this is also aggravated by human activities such as deforestation and poor waste management.
She encouraged everyone to change their lifestyles towards sustainable and healthy living by investing in our planet by traveling responsibly, living sustainably, planting a tree amongst others.
In the same view, the Executive Secretary, Ekiti State Forestry Commission said the more we protect the mother earth, the better for all even with the rise in climate change and fluctuation in climate variables with planting of trees as one of the ways for protecting the earth and combating climate change.
Mr Silas Apara, a young secondary school student who is the founder of Green Nation Club in his remark expressed his passion for the environment which motivated him in founding the Club stating that inconsistency in the rainfall has been causing so much loss on plants, lives and properties even as many of us burn plastics, thereby contributing to ozone layer depletion. Listing the achievement of the club to include planting of over 20,000 trees with locations to include Ekiti State office of the FRSC, Ekiti State Secretariat amongst others and that the Club has been able to pick over 10,000 plastics from the environment within Ikere-Ekiti as well as educating on sustainable environment at various capacity. Silas reiterated the need to be responsible as citizen by reducing activities of man that contributes to global warming
Goodwill messages were delivered by State Coordinator for Nesrea, Hon. Commissioner for Trade and Investment and Rotary President.
The Goodwill messages were centered on making an impact, combating climate change and replenishing the environment.
While in the spirit to continue the Good initiative of TGED Foundation, the Vice Chancellor of BOUESTI instructed all Heads of Departments and Deans of faculty to collect seedlings through the office of the Registrar and plant around their offices.
Dr Ibitola Makinde in her vote of thanks gave the assurance of a good output from the event while appreciating the BOUESTI Women Association for the turnout and that they should contribute in making the environment safe to live.
The tree planting was done after the discussion by the TGED Foundation team lead and other stakeholders at the event.
For further reading;